“Since to be wholly of the present means to be fully conscious of one’s existence as a man, it requires the most intensive and extensive consciousness, with a minimum of unconsciousness,” so states Carl Jung, renowned psychiatrist who had a deep effect on society through his founding of analytical psychology. Consciousness is defined as “awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge.” However, the state of consciousness is subjective; we cannot define this state in a particular way, nor can we determine a correct way to achieve consciousness. To many, consciousness means possessing a clear mindset that is unaltered by external influences, while for others, a state of heightened consciousness is achieved through drug substances. The 1960s in American counterculture were characterized by this idea, as the development and experimentation with hallucinogenic drugs created a movement to free the mind through expanding one’s internal awareness.
The 1960s started a drug movement which emphasized an expansion of consciousness through drug experimentation.
Today, this idea promoted by American hippies lives on in our current society. While not to the same overwhelming extent, the experimentation with drugs remains a popular way by which to explore human consciousness and understanding. American artist Bryan Lewis Saunders blends drugs, art, and neurological exploration in his experimental artworks. Saunders explains, “After experiencing drastic changes in my environment, I looked for other experiences that might profoundly affect my perception of self. So I devised another experiment where everyday I took a different drug or intoxicant and drew myself under the influence.” His self portraits document the mind under the influence of drugs, and the neurological effects substances have upon our realities and perceptions. His portraits, ranging from vivid and grotesque, to empty and simply, give the viewer a peek into the mind under the influence. The use of narcotics creates a different state of consciousness, and Saunder’s self portraits under the influence offer a striking example of art and neurology as he makes the choice of both mental and artistic experimentation.
Some examples of the self portraits created by Saunders under the influence of various narcotics.
By utilizing the brain as an artistic medium, we often run into religious and philosophical questions. Heightening our state of consciousness through awareness is achieved through many forms: meditation, drugs, art, and a combination of other means. Expansion of consciousness is a primary function of art in general; it is often in art that we discover so-called “religion,” or the sense of being spiritually awakened by an artistic force greater than our own individual.
Art serves as a way for us to express our neurological effects in a way that we cannot do through any other medium.
References:
Cherry, Kendra. “Carl Jung Biography.” About Education. 2015. Web. http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/jungprofile.htm
“Consciousness.” Dictionary.com. Web. 2015. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consciousness
Jung, Carl. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” 1928. Print. PDF. Web Accessed.
Richards, Samantha. “The Influence of Drugs Throughout Music in the 1960s: The Psychedelic Era.” Longwood. 29 April 2013. Web.http://blogs.longwood.edu/worldmusicsm/2013/04/29/the-influence-of-drugs-throughout-music-in-the-1960s-the-psychedelic-era/
Saunders, Brian Lewis. “Under the Influence.” 2008. Web. http://bryanlewissaunders.org/drugs/
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